Guide arrangement for a roof element on an opening vehicle roof

ABSTRACT

The invention relates to a guide arrangement for a roof element on an opening vehicle roof, comprising a guide web ( 16 ), connected to the roof element and a guide claw ( 30 ), provided with two opposing guide surfaces ( 26, 28 ), which engages with the guide web in such a manner that the guide surfaces lie on the guide web. The guide claw ( 30 ) comprises an elastic element ( 46, 446, 546 ) which provides adjustment for one ( 28 ) of the two guide surfaces, such that the separation between the two guide surfaces ( 26, 28 ) may be altered to provide tolerance adjustment.

[0001] This invention relates to a guide arrangement for a roof element as claimed in the preamble of claim 1.

[0002] One such generic guide arrangement is known from DE 195 14 585 A1, a T-shaped guide web being formed on the bottom of a mounting element attached to the roof cover and the two guide surfaces being formed by a first cam and an abutment cam which is offset with respect to the first cam in the lengthwise direction. The guide claw can be made in one piece out of plastic and is movably guided in the lengthwise direction of the roof along a roof-mounted guide rail.

[0003] DE 100 24 442 C1, U.S. Pat. No. 2,968,514 and U.S. Pat. No. 3,005,226 disclose guiding the cover of an openable motor vehicle roof by means of guide blocks which are attached to the cover along a roof-mounted guide rail, each guide block surrounding a horizontally projecting bridge in a U-shape, the guide block in the engagement area being provided with a flexible lining or plastic element.

[0004] In a slotted guide in which a link pin is movably guided in a link slot, tolerance equalization can be achieved by the link pin and the link slot being designed with an overlap, the slot width widening to the pin diameter. This is possible because the slot is relatively long and therefore the material which surrounds the slot acts as a spring. In a bridge guide (for example, a T-guide) this type of tolerance equalization cannot be accomplished, because the bridge cannot be used as an elastic element. In this way the problem can arise that either the bridge guide or the guide claw rattle, because the width of the bridge is less than the spacing of the retaining claws. On the other hand, the problem can arise that the two parts stick or can move only with a great expenditure of force, in this case the wear of the contact surfaces being very large and after a certain number of actuations rattling of the parts can occur.

[0005] The object of this invention is to devise a guide for a guide web in which good tolerance equalization can be easily and expediently achieved in order to prevent both rattling and also stiffness or excess wear.

[0006] This object is achieved as claimed in the invention by a guide arrangement with the features of claim 1.

[0007] In this approach as claimed in the invention it is advantageous for the guide claw to be provided with an elastic element and for the distance between the two guide surfaces of the guide claw to be made variable for purposes of tolerance equalization.

[0008] Preferred embodiments of the invention follow from the dependent claims.

[0009] The invention is detailed below by way of example using the attached drawings.

[0010]FIG. 1 shows a schematic perspective of the guide arrangement as claimed in the invention according to a first embodiment;

[0011]FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of the guide claw from FIG. 1;

[0012]FIG. 3 shows a cross section through the guide arrangement from FIGS. 1 and 2;

[0013] FIGS. 4 to 7 show views like FIG. 3, however modified embodiments of the invention being shown;

[0014]FIG. 8 shows a side view of the guide claw according to another modified embodiment of the invention;

[0015]FIG. 9 shows a view like FIG. 3, but a modified embodiment of the invention being shown; and

[0016]FIG. 10 shows a section along line X-X from FIG. 9, however the guide web being omitted.

[0017]FIG. 1 shows a guide arrangement with a carrier element 10 and a sliding element 12 in a schematic perspective. The carrier element 10 is intended for fixed mounting on the bottom of a cover (not shown) which is designed for closing or selectively clearing a roof opening which has been made in the motor vehicle roof. It can be for example a sliding roof, a sliding and lifting roof, or a spoiler roof. The sliding element 12 is designed to be movably guided by means of the engagement of sliding blocks (not shown) which can be mounted on sliding block sections 14 on the sliding element 12 in a body-mounted guide rail 11 in the lengthwise direction of the roof. The sliding element 12 can be driven by a compressively-stiff drive cable.

[0018] The carrier element 10 is provided on its bottom with a guide web 16 which is T-shaped in cross section, i.e. on either side of the carrier element 10 a section 18 of the guide web 16 projects laterally. The sections 18 on their top 20 or their bottom 22 each have a contact surface which adjoin sliding with the corresponding upper or lower contact surfaces 26 and 28 which are provided on the section of the sliding element 12 which is made as the guide claw 30. The claw 30 in this way extends around the guide web 16.

[0019] The guide web 16 is made such that in the vertical direction of the roof it runs at a different level. In this way, when the guide claw 30 is pushed in the lengthwise direction with respect to the carrier element 10, a raising or swivelling motion of the carrier element 10 and thus of the cover attached to it can be induced and controlled.

[0020] The carrier element 10 can be made for example as a sheet-metal part, and the guide web 16 can be spray-jacketed, for example, with POM. But the entire carrier element 10 can also consist of plastic, for example POM.

[0021] The structure of the guide claw 30 is detailed below in several embodiments.

[0022] In the embodiment as shown in FIG. 3, the guide claw 30 comprises a profile 32 which comprises two side walls 34 and 36 and a bottom 38. The walls 32 and 34 are bent to the inside in their upper section in order to form the top, solid contact surface 26 of the claw 30 on the bottom of the section which is bent to the inside. An axle 40 is mounted by means of the corresponding holes in the transverse direction between the two walls 34 and 36 and is formed by a rivet. The rivet 40 is surrounded by a spacer sleeve 42 which in turn is surrounded by a rotary sleeve 44. The riveted-in spacer sleeve 42 is used to stabilize the walls 34 and 36 of the profile 32 and thus to stabilize the entire claw 30. The rivet 40, the spacer sleeve 42 and the two walls 34 and 36 are joined positively and nonpositively to one another.

[0023] The rotary sleeve 44 is surrounded by an elastic element 46 which is made sleeve-like of elastic material and which for its part is surrounded by a sliding sleeve 48. The sliding sleeve 48 forms the lower contact surface 28 of the claw 30 which is engaged to the lower contact surface 22 of the guide web 16. The rotary sleeve 44 is used to support the elastic element 46 and the sliding sleeve 48 to be able to turn relative to the rivet 40 or the spacer sleeve 42, by which the sliding friction is converted essentially into rolling friction when the claw 30 engages the guide web 16. In this way the required drive forces and the wear are clearly reduced.

[0024] Since the elastic element 46 can be compressed, the axis of rotation of the sliding sleeve 48 can be shifted with respect to the axis of rotation of the rotary sleeve 44, by which the opposing contact surfaces 28 and 26 of the claw 30 can be moved in order to equalize production tolerances in the guide web 16 or the guide claw 30 so that both tightness and overly great play can be reliably prevented.

[0025] In the embodiment as shown in FIG. 4, the rotary sleeve 44 is omitted; this is possible if the elastic element 46 slides directly on the axle 140 or if the rotational capacity of the contact surface 22 or the sliding sleeve 28 can be abandoned. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 4, the axle 140 is injected into the claw 30.

[0026] In the embodiment as shown in FIG. 5, the sliding sleeve 48 is omitted; this is possible when the material of the elastic element 46 interacts with the material of the guide web 16 in a favorable manner in order to keep the friction and thus the wear low. The contact surface 28 is made directly on the outside of the elastic element 46. The axle 240 is made in the embodiment as shown in FIG. 5 as a screw axis.

[0027] In the embodiment shown in FIG. 6, the axle 340 is made integral with the elastic element 46, and the axle 340 can be pivotally supported in the holes 50 and 52 in the walls 34 and 36. Alternatively the axle 340 can be permanently connected to one or both walls 34, 36 if the rotation capacity of the contact surface 28 can be abandoned.

[0028]FIGS. 9 and 10 show an embodiment in which both the spacer sleeve and also the rotary sleeve are omitted. The elastic element 46 consists of rubber and surrounds a pin 40 made as a rivet, the elastic element 46 being able to turn on the surface 47 on the pin 40. The elastic element 46 on its outside periphery bears a sliding sleeve 48 of harder material which forms the contact surface 28. The engagement of the pin 40 prevents the two side walls from being able to move apart. The sliding sleeve 48 prevents the two side walls 34, 36 from being able to move further inside toward one another, as corresponds to the width of the sliding sleeve 48.

[0029] The axle can, as shown, be made for example as a rivet or as a screw, and the rivet and the spacer sleeve can also be replaced by a pressed-in bolt. The contact surface 28, if it can turn around the axis, is feasibly made as a circular cylinder or roller surface; if the rotational capacity can be abandoned, the contact surface 28 can also assume a different shape.

[0030]FIG. 7 shows a modified embodiment in which above the bottom 38 of the guide claw 30 the elastic element 446 is provided as a block of elastic material and forms the contact surface 28. The elastic element 446 is supported by the bottom 38 of the guide claw 30.

[0031] In the embodiments described so far, the elastic element 46, 446 is preferably formed from a suitable plastic material or rubber.

[0032]FIG. 8 shows an embodiment in which the elastic element 546 is formed by a spring which is flexible in the direction indicated with the arrows and which on its top forms the lower contact surface 28 which is opposite the upper contact surface 26. The sliding blocks 54 for the sliding element 12 are furthermore indicated in FIG. 8.

[0033] In all embodiments the guide web is not limited to the described T-shaped cross sectional shape. Instead, it can have for example also an L-shaped cross sectional shape.

REFERENCE NUMBER LIST

[0034]10 carrier element

[0035]11 body-mounted guide rail

[0036]12 sliding element

[0037]14 sliding block section

[0038]16 guide web

[0039]18 section of l6

[0040]20 upper contact surface of 16

[0041]22 lower contact surface of 16

[0042]26 upper contact surface of 30

[0043]28 lower contact surface of 30

[0044]30 guide claw

[0045]32 profile

[0046]34,36 side walls of 32

[0047]38 bottom of 32

[0048]40,140,240,340 axle

[0049]42 spacer sleeve

[0050]44 rotary sleeve

[0051]46,446,546 elastic element

[0052]47 rotary surface

[0053]48 sliding sleeve

[0054]50,52 holes

[0055]54 sliding block 

1. Guide arrangement for a roof element of an openable motor vehicle roof, with a guide web (16) which is connected to the roof element, and a guide claw (30) which is provided with two opposing guide surfaces (26, 28) and which surrounds the guide web (16) such that the guide surfaces (26, 28) adjoin the guide web (16), characterized in that the guide claw (30) has an elastic element (46, 446, 546) which provides for one (28) of the two guide surfaces (26, 28) to be adjustable and that thus the distance between the two guide surfaces (26, 28) can be changed for purposes of tolerance equalization.
 2. Guide arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein the guide web (16) is made T-shaped or L-shaped in cross section.
 3. Guide arrangement as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein the guide claw (30) is made as a profile (32) which bears the elastic element (46, 446, 546), the stationary guide surface (26) being formed by the profile (32).
 4. Guide arrangement as claimed in claim 3, wherein the guide claw (30) is made as a metal profile (32).
 5. Guide arrangement as claimed in claim 3 or 4, wherein the elastic element is formed by the bottom (38) of the guide claw (30) being provided with a block (446) of elastic material.
 6. Guide arrangement as claimed in claim 3 or 4, wherein the elastic element is formed by the adjustable guide surface (28) being formed by a spring element (546).
 7. Guide arrangement as claimed in claim 3 or 4, wherein the claw (30) has an axle (40, 140, 240, 340) which bears the elastic element (46).
 8. Guide arrangement as claimed in one of the preceding claims, wherein the adjustable guide surface (28) is rounded.
 9. Guide arrangement as claimed in claim 8, wherein the adjustable guide surface (28) is made roller-shaped.
 10. Guide arrangement as claimed in claim 9, wherein the adjustable guide surface (28) can be turned with respect to the claw (30).
 11. Guide arrangement as claimed in claim 10, wherein the claw (30) is provided with an axle (40, 140) on which the adjustable guide surface (28) is pivotally supported.
 12. Guide arrangement as claimed in claim 11, wherein the axle (40) is provided with a rotary sleeve (44) which is used as a rotary support for the elastic element (46) which surrounds the axle (40) in the manner of a sleeve.
 13. Guide arrangement as claimed in claim 11 or 12, wherein the axle is surrounded by a spacer sleeve.
 14. Guide arrangement as claimed in claim 10, wherein the elastic element (46) is made in one piece with an axle (340) which is pivotally supported with respect to the claw (30).
 15. Guide arrangement as claimed in one of the preceding claims, wherein the elastic element (46) is provided on one side with a layer (48) which forms the adjustable guide surface (28).
 16. Guide arrangement as claimed in one of the preceding claims, wherein one guide surface (26) of the claw (30) forms a guide surface which lies at the top and the other guide surface (28) of the claw (30) forms a guide surface which lies at the bottom, the guide surface which can be adjusted by the elastic element (46, 446, 546) being the guide surface lying at the bottom.
 17. Guide arrangement as claimed in one of the preceding claims, wherein the guide web (16) consists of POM or is spray-jacketed with POM.
 18. Guide arrangement as claimed in one of the preceding claims, wherein the roof element is a cover.
 19. Guide arrangement as claimed in one of the preceding claims, wherein the claw (30) can be moved in the lengthwise direction of the roof along a roof-mounted guideway. 